Department for Transport

Heathrow Airport

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken an impact assessment of the the effect of new flight path design envelopes for Heathrow airport on (1) air quality, (2) decibel levels, and (3) house prices in (a) Chiswick, (b) Hammersmith, (c) Acton, and (d) Ealing.

baroness sugg: Airports are responsible for the specific arrangements for low-level flightpaths and proposals to alter these arrangements must be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Airspace Change Process. The Department fopr Transport has oversight of this process, and published revised air navigation guidance in 2017 underpinning the process, to ensure that a full assessment of the health effects of proposals to change flight paths is carried out. This guidance requires airports who are seeking to make alterations to their flightpath arrangements to assess the impacts of different design options from an environmental perspective addressing issues such as aircraft noise and emissions. There is also a requirement for airports to consult with those communities who may be affected by the proposed changes to airspace and to take their views into account when finalising their proposals. This will then be taken into consideration by the CAA when making its final regulatory decision on the proposal. Heathrow Airport Limited is responsible for taking forward the airspace arrangements it needs and is currently at the start of the second stage of the process, which is ‘Option Development’.

Cycling and Walking: Rural Areas

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the WrittenStatement byBaroness Sugg on 22 November 2018 (HLWS1070), why cycling and walking are not included as crucial parts of rural planning.

baroness sugg: The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework, published in February 2019, contains guidance for planning authorities on matters including promoting cycling and walking. The guidance applies equally to rural and urban areas. It states that planning policies should provide for high quality walking and cycling networks, drawing on Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs). The Department for Transport is currently supporting 46 local authorities to develop their LCWIPs. These include both urban and rural local authorities.

Heathrow Airport: Electric Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with Heathrow Airport about the amount they charge customers for use of their electric vehicle charging points; and what assessment they have made of the application of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 to the airport to limitsuch costs and to ensure that their charging points are maintained in a usable condition.

baroness sugg: We have regular conversations with Heathrow about how it can improve the sustainability of the airport, including its support for electric vehicles, but have not discussed its chargepoint pricing model. Pricing is a matter for chargepoint network operators, but we are clear that we do not want to see prohibitive pricing of public chargepoints become a barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles. We want to see a self-sustaining electric vehicle chargepoint network that is affordable, reliable and accessible and will continue to monitor this as the market develops. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act provides the Government with powers to require the installation of chargepoints at large fuel retailers and motorway services areas, if needed, and to set chargepoint maintenance and reliability standards. We will consider intervening using these powers if the market fails to deliver improvements.

Airports: Security

lord stone of blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 5 November 2018 (HL11004), what criteria they use to assess the security requirements of airports.

baroness sugg: As stated in my written answer on 5 November 2018 (HL11004), it is long standing government policy not to comment in detail on security matters, including what criteria we use to assess security requirements at airports. The UK Government continues to work closely with its Egyptian counterparts, sharing its expertise in establishing effective security arrangements at all Egyptian airports including Sharm el-Sheikh. We hope to be in a position to resume direct flights when the circumstances are right.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Suggon 28February (HL13791), how much of the cost to the taxpayer of repatriating customers of Monarch airlines to the UK has been met by the owners or associates, including Greybull Capital, of the airline.

baroness sugg: To date the Government has not received any payment from Greybull or Monarch’s investors. The administration of the Monarch group of companies continues and the Government is finalising contributions from the travel industry. We are grateful for the companies that have contributed to the costs of repatriating their customers, demonstrating their corporate social responsibility. Following on from the experience of Monarch, the Secretary of State for Transport commissioned an independent Airline Insolvency Review which is expected to report by spring 2019.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Environment Protection: Taxation

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total amount of revenue that has been raised from (1) the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, and (2) the Carbon Price Floor, since May 2017.

lord henley: The total estimated receipts from the Carbon Price Support rate of the Climate Change Levy are £1.5bn from May 2017 until November 2018. Total revenue from EU Emissions Trading System auctions in the UK held between 3 May 2017 and 12 December 2018 was £1.8bn.

Carbon Tax

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which (1) energy and (2) climate related areas the revenue from the carbon tax is currently spent on; and what assessment has been made of using those revenues for increased investment in energy efficiency improvements in the housing stock to ensure statutory fuel poverty requirements are met.

lord henley: The Carbon Emissions Tax has not been introduced in the UK and would only be introduced in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Therefore, there is no current revenue from this tax.Revenue from the Carbon Price Support rate and from EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) auctions are not directly hypothecated with revenue going into the Consolidated Fund. The UK spends far in excess of the 50% of revenues from the EU ETS auctions required by the EU on climate and energy areas, for example, the UK will spend at least £5.8bn on international climate finance, helping developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change through coalitions and partnerships, between 2016 and 2020. The UK has committed to spending over £2.5bn on research into low carbon innovation, including clean energy, between 2015 and 2021.Government has committed to a £6bn programme of spend on home energy efficiency and also to tackling fuel poverty, with all of the current Energy Company Obligation focused on low income and vulnerable households.

Service Industries: Employment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any decline in employment in the UK services sector; and what steps they are taking to boost employment in this sector.

lord henley: According to the Office for National Statistics employment in the UK service sector continues to increase, and has done so over both the long and short term, with the latest figure standing at a record high of 29 million in the third quarter of 2018. Q4 employment figures are due in March. The Government works closely with the sector to understand sector issues through the industry-led Professional and Business Services Council (PBSC). The Council is made up of representatives from the PBS sector, and has a number of working groups focusing on important issues and opportunities for growth and employment in the sector.

Cars: Manufacturing Industries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent warnings by BMW and Toyota that their UK car production may be threatened in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord henley: We are determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for the automotive sector. BEIS Ministers and officials regularly engage with the automotive industry, including bilaterals with manufacturers, interactions via trade associations, and through the Department’s participation in the Automotive Council. Government has understood BMW’s warning that no deal would be a danger to MINI production in the UK. We have also heard from Toyota the impact that a no deal scenario would have on its business. Leaving the EU with a deal that supports the future of British industry remains the government’s top priority. As set out in the Political Declaration, the UK and the EU have agreed on a free trade area for goods, including automotive. This would combine deep regulatory and customs cooperation with no tariffs and no quotas, underpinned by provisions ensuring open and fair competition.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Visas: EU Countries

lord bruce of bennachie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what visa or equivalent charges they expect UK residents to pay to secure access to EU Member States after Brexit.

lord callanan: The European Union has proposed to grant UK nationals visa-free travel to the EU for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The UK has also said that we do not intend to require visas for EU citizens travelling to the UK for short stays.The arrangements for longer stays will depend on the approach taken by individual Member States.The FCO’s Travel Advice pages provide the most up to date information on entry requirements for travellers for each Member State.This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

Ministry of Justice

Magistrates

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many magistrates there are currently in England and Wales; how many more magistrates are needed in England and Wales; and what are their plans to (1) recruit more magistrates, and (2) ensure equality of access to justice throughout England and Wales.

lord keen of elie: There are currently 15,003 magistrates in England and Wales. We work with the judiciary to analyse both current and future judicial supply and demand across our courts and tribunals, factoring in planned recruitment, retirements and other departures. As of 1 April 2018 there were 15,003 magistrates in England and Wales. For the year 2018/19, 1,018 people will have been recommended for appointment however this figure is unlikely to sustain the national complement of magistrates at the 1 April level. We are therefore increasing recruitment activity and are developing a three-year strategy, focusing on increasing diversity and social mobility, to support the recruitment of sufficient numbers to manage workloads.

Legal Aid Scheme

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what form the review into thresholds for legal aid and entitlement will take, as refererred to inLegal Support: The Way Ahead (CP 40); and what is the expected timescale for the completion and publication of the review and its recommendations.

lord keen of elie: The legal aid means test review will bring together data, evidence and expertise from across Government to assess the effectiveness with which the means testing arrangements appropriately protect access to justice, particularly with respect to those who are vulnerable. We are keen to work with experts from across the field to explore any improvements to the system. Upon conclusion of the review, expected by summer 2020, we will publish a full consultation paper setting out our future policy proposals in this area. We will seek to implement any final recommendations as soon as practicable following public consultation.

Legal Aid Scheme

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that most people are aware of their entitlement to legal support; and what estimate they have made of the number of people likely to be eligible for support by way of (1) legal advice and (2) legal representation.

lord keen of elie: On 7 February 2019 the Government published the Legal Support Action Plan, which outlines our vision to deliver quicker and easier access to a broad spectrum of complimentary legal support services. This includes launching a campaign to improve awareness of how people can access legal support, including legal aid, by Autumn 2019. The Legal Support Action Plan builds on the evidence gathered as part of the Post-Implementation Review of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The review found that further consideration of the eligibility criteria for legal aid is required and the Action Plan commits to carrying out a comprehensive legal aid means test review. Whilst it is not currently possible to identify the proportion of the population that is eligible for legal aid advice and/or representation, analysis as part of the legal aid means test review is expected to provide an estimate for this figure.

Legal Aid Scheme

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the number of exceptional cases in which legal aid has been granted has risen in recent years.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the current availability of (1) legal advice and (2) legal representation through the legal aid system for different categories of case and geographical location.

lord keen of elie: Both the number of applications made through the Exceptional Case Funding scheme and the proportion of these that have been granted have increased in recent years, as illustrated below. The MoJ publishes information on the operation of the ECF scheme and this can be accessed at Table 8.2 of the ‘Main Tables’ under the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/legal-aid-statistics. Financial YearApplications ReceivedApplications DeterminedApplications Granted% of determined applications granted2013-141,5161,516725%2014-151,1721,17223120%2015-161,3441,34466850%2016-171,8791,87999553%2017-182,6252,6231,48156% The Legal Aid Agency monitors access to legal aid-funded services by geographic location using ‘Procurement Areas’. These are boundaries defined by the LAA according to the respective categories of law they cover. All types of procurement area have at least two providers undertaking work in their respective categories, save for Housing and Debt matters, where over 97% of procurement areas for this category have at least one provider contracted for Housing and Debt services. The LAA has opened a further tender to secure provision in these remaining areas for the Housing and Debt category. A list of law firms offering legal aid, showing location and type of advice each can provide, is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers. Advice can also be accessed by telephone through the Civil Legal Advice service.

Legal Aid Scheme

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the mandatory requirementsfrom the telephone gateway for debt,discrimination and special educational needscases will not be removed until spring 2020.

lord keen of elie: The Government believes that providing legal advice over the telephone remains an invaluable way of delivering legal aid, especially to individuals who are geographically or otherwise isolated. However, we have listened to the views of the stakeholders who have engaged with us during the Post-Implementation Review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and we agree that for those for whom it is not appropriate remote advice should not be mandated. We will, therefore, reinstate access to face to face advice for debt, discrimination and special educational needs. We have stated this will be done by Spring 2020. This will give the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency sufficient time to make the necessary legislative and operational changes.

Treasury

Financial Services: Tax Yields

lord vaux of harrowden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possible reduction in tax receipts from the UK financial services industry as a result of the actions being taken by financial services businesses to enable their businesses to operate after Brexit.

lord bates: The Government has published a detailed set of economic analysis on the long-term impacts of EU exit on the UK economy, its sectors, nations and regions and the public finances. The Chancellor will also be providing the independent OBR’s updated fiscal and economic forecasts at the Spring Statement on 13th March.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Death

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of figures by the Office for National Statistics that showed that 597 homeless people died on the streets of England and Wales in 2017, what plans they have to reduce and eliminate such deaths.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Every person who dies while they do not have a place to call home is one too many and we have a moral duty to act.Whilst we recognise that suitable housing is a key part of the solution, health services have a significant role to play, alongside other public services. My Department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that rough sleepers have the health care they need, when they need it. In its Long-Term Plan, the National Health Service will invest up to £30 million extra on meeting the needs of rough sleepers, to ensure that the parts of England most affected by rough sleeping will have better access to specialist homelessness NHS mental health support, integrated with existing outreach services. We are also ensuring that when a homeless person dies or is seriously injured as a result of abuse or neglect and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult, Safeguarding Adult Reviews take place so that local services can learn lessons from these tragic events to better prevent them from happening in the future. The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and ending rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. In its first year, the Rough Sleeping Initiative provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many non-UK Commonwealth nationals are serving in the UK armed forces.

earl howe: The table below shows the number of Commonwealth citizens serving in our Armed Forces as at 1 October 2018: ServiceRoyal Navy/ Royal MarinesArmyRoyal Air ForceTotalRegulars5103,890904,500FR20 Reserves1019010210Total5204,0801004,710 The 4,500 Commonwealth citizens in the Regular forces represent 3.3% of the Regular trained strength. The 210 Commonwealth citizens in the FR20 Reserves represent 0.65% of the FR20 Reserve trained strength.Notes: Figures for the Royal Navy/Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are for the Trained Regular Population and Trained FR20 population. Army figures are for Trade Trained Regular population, and Trained FR20 population. Nationality is as reported on the Joint Personnel Administration system upon intake. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.

Type 26 Frigates

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to accelerate the Type 26 warship building programme; and what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK’s programme of the recent announcements by the governments of Australia and Canada on their plans for Type 26 warships.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to change the schedule for the Type 26 Frigate procurement programme. Under the terms of the contract we signed in 2017 to build the first batch of three Type 26 Frigates, the first ship, HMS Glasgow, will enter service in 2027. HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast will then follow.Building on the recent success of the Global Combat Ship-Type 26 design in the Australian SEA 5000 and the Canadian Surface Combatant competitions, the MOD continues to work with BAE Systems to understand the opportunities that may materialise as the respective shipbuilding programmes mature.

HMS Prince of Wales

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the HMS Prince of Wales' (1) first day at sea, and (2) sea trials will be.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 17 September 2018 to Questions HL 10116, HL 10117 and HL 10118.



HMS Prince of Wales
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Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many downloads of the Pensions Regulator assessment calculation spreadsheet there have been in each of the last five years.

baroness buscombe: We interpret the question to be referring to the Basic Assessment Tool spreadsheet data, which started in September 2015.From 2015 to the end of 2018, the Pensions Regulator’s Basic Assessment Tool was downloaded a total of 6,776 times. The table below provides a breakdown of downloads in each year.YearDownloads20157420164176201722682018258

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence and statisticsthey hold in relation to automatic enrolment pension contribution data errors.

baroness buscombe: I refer the noble Baroness to my answer of 12th November 2018.Employers, trustees, managers and providers must keep certain records including details of the pension contributions payable in each relevant pay reference period by an employer to the scheme, and the amount payable. This includes the contributions due on the employer’s behalf and deductions made from an individual’s earnings.The Pensions Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions, provide information to help members check their contributions and report material payment failures to The Pensions Regulator. However, The Pensions Regulator does not hold statistics on contribution data errors. The Pensions Regulator have payment failure reports from pension providers but these do not necessarily represent data errors.In addition, The Pensions Regulator publishes regular assessments of its automatic enrolment compliance and enforcement activities as well as an annual commentary and analysis report, both of which are available on its website.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that there is no gender discrimination built into the application scheme for settled status, including for (1) women who do not have continuous HMRC records, (2) people whose documents are largely in their husband’s name, (3) people who have changed their name due to marriage, change of gender or other reasons, and (4) women who are victims of domestic violence or whose present or former husbands or partners are not willing to co-operate.

baroness williams of trafford: The EU Settlement Scheme will accept a wide range of documentation as proof of residence. We have worked closely with our Safeguarding User Group to establish the types of evidence that vulnerable applicants will have available to them.The automated checks with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions will, in most cases, provide us with the information we need to confirm residence. Where these checks are not sufficient, we allow for alternative ways of proving residence, including methods which do not rely on access to formal documentation.When the scheme is rolled out fully from 30 March there will be additional provisions allowing applicants who are unable to provide identity documents due to circumstances beyond their control, or for compelling practical or compassionate reasons, to provide alternative evidence of their identity. This may include where such documents are being held by abusive partners or employers.

Crime: Rural Areas

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of trends in the level of unsolved crime in rural areas across the United Kingdom.

baroness williams of trafford: Justice and policing is devolved to Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Government does not hold relevant data on levels of unsolved crime in rural areas across England and Wales.Across England and Wales, it is the responsibility of Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to make sure criminal cases are investigated properly. Together with the Crown Prosecution Service they must make sure cases are charged where there is sufficient evidence, and it is in the public interest to do so.

Former Prime Ministers: Security

lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of protection for former Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom.

baroness williams of trafford: It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on the securi-ty arrangements for protected individuals. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.

Cabinet Office

Citizenship

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their response to the report of the Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Engagement (Cm9629), published on 28 June 2018 and the Written Answer byLord Young of Cookham on 30 January (HL12923), whether they intend to appoint a single lead minister on all matters relating to citizenship and civic engagement; and if so, when.

lord young of cookham: I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answer for written question HL12923.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to encourage Northern Irish political parties to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly.

lord duncan of springbank: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met the five main political parties and the Irish Government on Friday, 15 February to discuss the next steps toward talks aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly. She also met the parties on Friday, 1 March. She continues to work closely with all parties, and the Irish Government in accordance with the three stranded approach, to make progress.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Canada

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, during discussions with the government of Canada about a future bilateral trade agreement, the subject of the frozen state pensions of UK pensioners who have retired to Canada has been discussed.

baroness fairhead: Discussions with Canada to date have focused on continuity in our trading relationship through a transition of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into a UK-Canada bilateral agreement. The subject of frozen state pensions has not been a feature of our trade dialogue with Canada. This policy area is primarily a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Arms Trade: Yemen

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of UK arms sales to Yemen in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, and (4) 2018.

baroness fairhead: Arms sales data by region is published annually on GOV.UK. More widely, export values declared for Standard Individual Export Licences for military exports granted to Yemen in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (up to 30 September 2018) are as follows: YearValue (£)2015£27,2222016£265,6202017£21,1502018£0 It should be noted, that licences granted are not necessarily a measure of sales or exports shipped in a given period as they are valid for between two and five years. Licensing data only provides a partial indication of sales as exporters only declare export values for a subsection of licences (Standard Individual Export Licences). Some licences expire before they are used and, in these circumstances, exporters must submit a further application, which can result in an element of double counting.  All UK export licence applications are assessed rigorously against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing criteria. It is also the case that there is a partial arms embargo on Yemen. The embargo applies only to designated individuals and entities.

Trade Agreements: Tuvalu

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey havemade in securing a bilateral trade agreement with Tuvalu.

baroness fairhead: As the UK exits the EU, it remains our priority to replicate the effects of the EU-Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and implement it from exit day or as soon as possible thereafter. As Tuvalu has not signed the EU-Pacific EPA it is not party to the transitioned UK EPA although it is eligible to accede in the future. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. This will provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme, granting duty-free, quota-free access to Least Developed Countries, including Tuvalu.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the BBC on its consultation on how licence fees for the over 75's should be paid for.

lord ashton of hyde: The government meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a range of issues, including the over 75 licence fee concession. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport most recently met with the BBC Chairman on 6 March 2019.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Bullying and Harassment in the House of Lords Independent Inquiry

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the estimated cost of the independent inquiry into bullying and harassment in the House of Lords; and what is the level of remuneration being paid to Naomi Ellenbogen QC.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The inquiry into bullying and harassment, launched on 19 December 2018, is being led independently by Naomi Ellenbogen QC. The inquiry relates to and has sought contributions from a number of key stakeholder groups, including current and, where possible, former: House of Lords Administration staff (including agency and interim staff), and employee representative groups;Members of the House of Lords;Staff of Members of the House of Lords; andStaff of the House of Commons, MPs’ staff, and staff of shared or bicameral services in Parliament. Naomi Ellenbogen QC is being remunerated on the basis of a daily fee of £2000 plus VAT for each full day worked exclusively on the inquiry, and an hourly fee of £225 plus VAT where only part of the day is spent working on the inquiry. The contract through which Ms Ellenbogen has been engaged defines a full day as constituting 8 hours, and provides that time engaged in report writing will be payable at the agreed hourly rate. While the costs of the inquiry are being paid by the House of Lords, the overall cost will depend on a number of variable factors outside the Administration’s control, in particular the volume of evidence received.